


Intro to Parenting: A Melodrama

by StraightOuttaHimring



Series: Lessons in Family and Other Unstoppable Forces [1]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: But a watered-down era-appropriate adoption version of Kidnap Dads, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Kidnap Dads, Maglor still thinks his problems are just as dire as they are in canon, Mentions of Maedhros/Fingon - Freeform, Modern AU, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 01:09:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18084515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StraightOuttaHimring/pseuds/StraightOuttaHimring
Summary: Maglor struggles to adapt to his role as Elrond and Elros' legal guardian. It doesn't help that the twins seem determined to undermine and prank Maglor at every turn. Fortunately, Maedhros always has his little brother's back, and the twins might just be coming around after all.





	Intro to Parenting: A Melodrama

**Author's Note:**

  * For [martial-quill (martial_quill)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/martial_quill/gifts).



> This story was written off of the prompt "What in the name of Manwë’s balls happened to you?” from the amazing Martial-Quill on Tumblr. Thanks for somehow inspiring me to get off my rear and write something! The story is roughly an age old, but now that work is taking a break from crushing my soul I wanted to get back into writing and expand on this AU a bit, so more stories may come in the future! 
> 
> This work is unbeta'd, please excuse any mistakes. 
> 
> As per the obligatory legal disclaimer, I do not own any characters in this story or make any profit off of this. Characters belong to the legendary J.R.R.Tolkien.

“What in the name of Manwë’s balls happened to you?” demanded Maedhros, caught somewhere between concern and amusement.  
   
“I will give you exactly two guesses,” replied Maglor darkly, trying and failing to pull an errant feather out of his hair.  
   
“I don’t know what I was thinking, telling that social worker I could care for them, it’s not like we are even their closest family! They hate me, Nelyo,” he fumed.  
   
Maedhros pushed aside his books and laptop. Publishers’ deadlines be damned. He rarely saw his sweet, absent-minded brother so irate.  
   
“I highly doubt that, brother,” replied Maedhros, trying to sound soothing and level headed in the face of Maglor’s predicament.  
   
“They want me to fail. I don’t know what else to do.”  
   
Maedhros gathered his brother into his arms and tried to detangle the mass of hair and feathers on his head. “Eru above, what did they do this time?”  
   
“They put syrup in my shampoo! And when I finally cornered one of them, the other dumped a bucket of feathers and glitter on my head!”  
   
“Ah, I thought you sparkled more than usual,” replied Maedhros, utterly failing at keeping a straight face.  
   
“It’s not funny!” Maglor was becoming more and more hysteric. “Last week, they somehow got stuck on the roof of the apartment building for hours! I finally had to call your fiancé to help get them down. Thank Eru he had an extendable ladder and children inexplicably love him. Before that, they added cayenne pepper into the waffle mix. They ate the waffles, Maedhros! I had no idea something was wrong until I finally sat down and took a bite! What kind of monsters have that kind of commitment to a stupid prank? They painted on my cello, they had a paper airplane contest with my sheet music, at any given point one or the other isn’t speaking to me!”  
   
With each story, Maglor’s speech rose in speed and pitch until he was in a full-fledged panic. Maedhros could think of several family members with commendable commitment to pranks, usually much more serious than what Maglor just described. That was not the point of the conversation, though, so Maedhros pushed the memories aside.  
   
“Well, first things first, lets get this mess washed out of your hair.”  
   
Maedhros led Maglor into the kitchen and settled him in front of the sink as he mixed a vinegar wash. He could feel the tension draining from his brother’s shoulders as he ran his fingers along his scalp and carefully worked the tangles out.  
   
“I am so far behind on preparations for my recital this weekend. I already had to cut back shifts at the cafe to keep up with the twins. I need this performance to go well,” confided Maglor. Now that the fire had left his voice, he just sounded tired. Tired and miserable.  
   
“Your opening recital will be amazing — no, don’t argue with me, it will be. You are so gifted, brother, there is no way it would not be. That, plus I am very stubborn and refuse to be wrong. If I say it will be amazing, then it will be.”  
   
Maglor chuckled at his brother's optimism, but it did little to raise his spirits. “It’s like they want me to fail, Nelyo. I don’t know what I’m going to do when you and Fingon finally move in together. I don’t think I can do this on my own.”  
   
“Maglor! You don’t actually think that, do you?” asked Maedhros, looking at his brother in concern. “You’re not losing me, you are gaining another brother. As you said, kids love Fingon. If the twins get too riled up, you can just dump them on him and send them to the park! Honestly, I might dump him on the twins during some of his more hyperactive moments.”  
   
After a moments pause, he added, “For the record, I don’t think they want you to fail. You’re not the only one who is scared and confused here. And I know exactly why our cousins wanted you to raise their children—you are one of the most caring, patient people I know. It doesn’t matter that we are working multiple jobs and trying to fit all four of us in this little apartment, what matters is that they have someone at the end of the day who will love them, no matter what.”  
   
“You’re right, I am sorry for burdening you with all of this,” sighed Maglor.  
   
“Don’t you dare,” admonished Maedhros as he towel-dried his brother’s hair. “I am your big brother, that’s what I’m here for.”  
   
He stepped back to admire his work. “Now that you look more elf than orc, what do you say you go check on those gremlins and tuck them in for the night.”  
   
Maglor rolled his eyes at the brief moment that passed between them, but smiled inwardly. “Keep your fingers crossed they aren’t armed with more feathers, or something worse.”  
   
Maglor padded quietly down the hall to his old room, now the room the twins shared. All was quiet, which either meant the twin terrors were asleep, or that Maglor should be very, very worried. Peeking into the room revealed two small, brunette figures huddled together on the old queen bed. Maglor carefully walked over and pulled his grandmother’s quilt-his own baby blanket-up around the sleeping monsters.  
   
Elrond turned over sleepily and stretched his arms out toward his foster-father.  
   
“Maglor?” he asked tentatively.  
   
“Yes, little one?”  
   
“I know you are mad, but we can still watch you play this weekend?”  
   
Maglor sighed. “I don’t know yet. I am still trying to find someone to refurbish the cello so last minute, and I haven’t finished reorganizing some of my compositions.”  
   
Elrond’s eyes widened. “You don’t like your cello? We tried so hard to finish it before your concert! We wanted it to be special. You know, cooler, in case anyone else had a big cello too.”  
   
Maglor froze. For a moment he could think of nothing to say, so instead he hastily crawled under the covers to scoop the little elfling into his arms. “Well little one, it will definitely stand out.”  
   
Part of Maglor cringed. No instrument deserved to be covered in sharpie and what looked like gold paint — _no doubt supplied by Fingon, that bling-loving bastard_ , his mind added. Despite that, he knew now that no amount of money or ridicule would convince him to replace it.  
   
“So…. can we go?” asked Elrond again. “I like to listen to you play!”  
   
Maglor sighed more dramatically than necessary. “I suppose. If you like to listen to me play so much, do you think you might want to learn?”  
   
Elrond nodded vigorously and curled closer into Maglor’s arms.  
   
When Maedhros finally went to bed a few hours later, he peeked into the room and smiled to see Maglor fast asleep with his arm draped over the twins with his young charges nestled close.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism, requests for where I should go with this series, or any other feedback is always welcome!


End file.
